Language dance: The importance of talking to your young child

Baby talk sounds like gibberish but plays a valuable role in speech development and should be encouraged by parents

It is so exciting when your newborn begins making little baby noises. Every
coo gets chronicled. Every giggle seems like a gift. I remember when
Killian started babbling, making those first precious sounds. I was in awe.

As he advanced in his language development my emotion continued to swell. I
vividly recall my husband’s joyous expression when our son said Dada. And I
will never forget the moment on the beach when he looked at me and said
Mama. A child’s first words sound like a miracle.

At 9-months-old Killian makes most of the sounds of the alphabet and has
started saying compound noises like Sh and Th. These days it seems like he
is trying to speak in phrases and sentences, using lots of different
letters and combinations. His words sound like gibberish but the inflection
and intonation of his voice, the pitch and speed of his sounds and
expressions on his face let us know what he is trying to convey.

Some of
his baby talk has become very familiar to us. When Killian is happy or
something is satisfactory he says "Geet," and when he wants to say "no," it
sounds like Nine. Even though he is speaking words I cannot understand, I
usually know exactly what he is saying.

We learned that the best way to assist Killian develop his speech is to
exercise our own. As author
Tina Rosenberg wrote
in The New York Times, “
the key to early learning is talking — specifically, a child’s exposure to
language spoken by parents and caretakers from birth to age 3, the more the
better.” Lucky for me, I love to talk.

There is a whole lot of baby talk in my house. We make up funny words or
mimic Killian’s noises. But we spend most of our time talking to Killian as
if he can understand all of the things we say. I narrate the events of our
day, explaining activities like preparing lunch or changing a diaper. I
read to him daily and always spend time encouraging him to observe the
things around him – trees, toys, Mama’s feet, whatever.

I teach him by
explaining colors and shapes, telling him the names of things around us and
the noises animals make. Rather than keep my monologue internal, I share it
with him. Most importantly, I encourage conversation with my son. We spend
a lot of time in a language dance together.

Risley says
talkative parents produce talkative children, nurturing the social ability
for interaction simply by communicating a lot with their little ones. “What
you can translate talkativeness into is a social ability for interaction
and sustaining an interaction with the baby,” Risley said in an interview. “And the baby, of course, is motivated by sustaining the interaction with
the parent.” Back and forth, back and forth. A conversation. A dance.

The
findings of this study
showed the more words a young child is exposed to, the better; the
more in-depth conversations or complex language dance, the better.

The way
parents talk to their very young children has a profound effect on their
ability to learn. The
study’s conclusion
is children become either talkative or taciturn depending upon how
much language dancing happens in their home. Talkative parents who engage
in complex conversation with their baby, rather than just providing simple
directions or statements, benefit that child’s learning immensely.

Talking to young children also helps them in other ways.
According to Risley’s research, talkative parents provide more positive affirmations to their child.
Positive reinforcement can have a big impact on a child’s emotional
development. While all children, including my son, need to be disciplined and
told “no,” I am conscious about encouraging and praising Killian throughout
each day.

Any kind of talking to your child will benefit his development. Make that
chatter a language dance with lots of words and complex ideas that invoke
conversation, emotion, memory, feelings, questions and observations, and your child’s language development and ability to learn will profit.

If you
need some additional guidance, talk to your pediatrician or try some of the
things I do with my son.

• Talk to him all day long.• Narrate the events and activities of our day and explain why we do
things.• Say more than just, "no." When correcting Killian, I provide context and
an explanation.• Mimic conversation by listening to him, responding and encouraging the
same from him.• Act out both sides of our conversation: "Would you like your
bottle? You say, 'Yes, please, Mama.' And I say, 'OK, baby, here you go!' And you
say, 'Thank you, Mama!'”• Name and describe the things around us, encouraging him to say
different words.• Ask questions and help him find the answers.•Read
age appropriate books
to him every day.

It is never too early to begin talking to your baby.
Start when they are in utero! Keep chatting when they are a newborn and converse with them throughout
their lives. Both parent and child will benefit from the language dance.

Do you engage in language dancing? What advice do you have for parents
with little ones who are learning how to speak? Share your thoughts
with me and other parents in the comments section below or Tweet me at
@ThePhillyVoice and @KathleenEGagnon.